“I have a lot to tell you. I don’t know how you’re going to solve it. » It was at the end of a summer municipal council, on July 17, after a final battle with the opposition, when Emmanuel François, mayor of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Indre-et-Loire), announced his resignation, almost two years before the end of his term. “I actually felt relieved. It was difficult, exhausting and very frustrating.”trusts the one who was elected during the 2020 municipal elections, without label. An example that illustrates the wave of councilor resignations that is sweeping the country, with the inauguration of the Congress of Mayors on Tuesday, November 19 in Paris.
At first, the fifty-year-old had put his career as a general practitioner on hold in the hope of changing his city through his involvement in politics, for him “instill a new dynamic”, he said at that time. “The metropolis saw me arrive with a certain desire to change things, with a certain purity, I dare say. » Shortly after his resignation, his political entourage described an exhausted and discouraged man, especially after the fire at his medical office in September 2022. But the reasons are much more diverse.
Until the arrival of Mr. François, Saint-Pierre-des-Corps had always been a stronghold of the French Communist Party. The previous mayor, Marie-France Beaufils, reigned there for thirty-seven years (from 1983 to 2020). Upon succeeding him at the head of this city of 15,000 inhabitants located on the outskirts of Tours, he says he has encountered fierce opposition. “We didn’t have any particular label except one person, in MoDem”explains, accusing the opposition of having “ always happened » your team likes it “rightist” For “depart, without a doubt.”
Ego, networks, interests.
He also discovered a bloodless economy: “In 2021, we will once again vote for an unbalanced budget but with no choice but to raise taxes. In the end, when I left, we had more than enough needs. To do this, it would have been necessary, in particular, to start getting rid of a real estate asset in ruins, which had never been maintained.”affirms, convinced that“We must first generate wealth to hope to lift residents out of their difficulties.”
Emmanuel François, who says he had to manage municipal agents to the limit of his possibilities, mentions some selection errors within his own municipal team. The changes that were then necessary were painful. “When certain people obtain a mandate as a deputy or advisor, they have the impression of gaining ground in life. Risking losing this mandate is a bit like losing your pride, your dignity. »
You have 42.13% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
